Clown conference commences in Albany

Monserrate’s glassing incident was widely reported when it happened, nearly six months ago. But instead of condemning him as a “thug” back then, Smith and his allies were anxiously trying to cut a deal with Monserrate, along with three other Democrats (Espada, Carl Kruger, and Ruben Diaz Sr.) who initially refused to side with their party to organize the Senate.

Monserrate did end up coming aboard, and in January Smith handed him the chairmanship of the Senate Consumer Protection Committee—even as domestic-violence groups protested vehemently. And after that, Smith volunteered to headline a lucrative Albany fund-raiser for Monserrate. Then, only after Monserrate was formally indicted and the public outcry became too much for him, Smith finally agreed to remove him from his committee chairmanship “temporarily.”

Monserrate’s thuggishness been obvious since December, but until this week, he was the Democrats’ thug—an absolutely crucial component of their 32-30 Senate majority. So, due-diligence admonishments notwithstanding, Smith and his colleagues were far more interested in keeping him in the fold than in drawing further attention to his reported misdeeds. But now? Well, suddenly his December behavior is outrageous and worthy of loud and uncompromising condemnation.

This is a F!#$%^& joke. We voted for these yahoo's and they want to shut down the government? Who the hell do they think they are? Our taxes and such pay for their salaries. Get back to work you F!#$%^ slackers! If not why can't the public keep the doors shut and locked and tell them to go home? You can't get along and aren't able to work then we will get someone in there who will. This is so childish it makes me sick to my stomach. If I don't go to work I don't get paid and my employer says get lost! THIS MAKES ME SO ANGRY!

Democrats took control of the New York State Senate last month after more than four decades of Republican rule, then set out to determine how the Senate's own budget of nearly $100 million and its attendant perks were being distributed.

They recently realized there are some 75 employees working at the Senate'sown printing plant, a plain brick building on the outskirts of Albany. OnLong Island, they found a small television studio, which had been set up all with public money, with two press aides on hand to help operate it for the exclusive use of Republican senators to record cable TV shows.

Then there are the parking spots, always at a premium near the Capitol.Democrats had been given roughly one spot per senator there were 30Democrats last year and guessed there were perhaps double or even triplethat controlled by the majority. Instead, they have learned, there are more than 800.

And Democratic leaders must determine what to do about 45 workers toilingaway in a building close to the Capitol who appear to have been engaged inquasi-political research for the Republicans.

"Every time we nail something down, we uncover another rock and there'sanother 30 people there it's all over the state," said Angelo J. Aponte,who as the new secretary of the Senate is the top aide to Malcolm A. Smith,the Queens Democrat who became majority leader last month.

And billionaire Rochester plutocrat Tom Golisano, who three timesfailed to buy the governor's mansion in independent bids, and who spentmillions to try and bolster the dying GOP's hold on the Senate last year,was appalled that the new Senate wouldn't cut his taxes -- so appalled that he moved into Florida tax exile.

The answer was simple: a coup. A coup which would thwart transparency andreform, restore GOP perks and pork, follow Tom DeLay's playbook forundemocratic redistricting shenanigans, and cut Tom Golisano's taxes. Theneeds of the many for responsive government would be sacrificed for theneeds of a very, very, select few.

But NY State the democrats and republicans are just sibling rivals with very little difference.

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